How do you cure athletes foot with modern medication?

In my previous post, I have covered almost all the possible and effective home remedies to cure athletes foot. I also have mentioned that research saying tea tree oil treatment is even better than pharmaceutical medications. At the same time, its wise to write about the widely available pharmaceutical medicines which can help you to recover from this nasty infection. For those who are doubt the effectiveness of home remedies, this information will be very useful to you. There are two type of modern treatment over the counter medications or by prescription- either topical or oral. The beginning stage of athletes foot can be treated by topical cream or gel, but if the infection gets severe without improvement, more effective oral medication is required. Beside medicines, good hygiene will assure quick recovery. Studies have proven good hygiene practices alone have cured 35% of athlete foot cases. In anti-fungal cream, the most active ingredients are tolnaftate and miconazole nitrate - which are very potent drugs in eradicate the fungus. Since these two drugs are very strong, a very small amount (2% of miconazole nitrate or 1% of tolnaftate) is sufficient in order to work. Another drug, terbinafine, which in common known as Lamisil, becomes very popular recently. All the three drugs mentioned above can be purchased over the counter. If you look at prescription treatment, they are made of several types of drugs. The most common one are naftifine, nystatin, caspofungin, itraconazole and ketoconazole. If we compare over the counter medications, prescribed medications are work faster. A very few oral medications are available than topical medication to treat athletes foot. Oral medications are only used to treat severe cases of athletes foot. A drug known as griseofulvin is one of the oldest oral medication which has been used since 1950s. The use of griseofulvin has been limited due to its side effects on liver and casing aplastic anemia. Oral medication, terbinafine is preferred by people in United Kingdom. Beside this fluconazole and itraconazole also become popular oral medications among athlete's foot sufferers. Oral treatments are still necessary instead topical creams and oinments to treat incurable athlete's foot. Treatment Options

Treatments of athletes foot can include over the counter remedies, prescription drugs, changes in hygiene practices, as well as natural cures. Below, we have detailed the most common prescription and over the counter treatments of athletes foot as well as when these treatments should be used. Please remember that no treatment should be started without first seeking the advice of a medical professional.

Over the Counter (OTC) Treatments

Over the counter treatments of athletes foot are ideal in cases where infection is in its earliest stages, before the infection has permeated to the tissues of the skin. The purpose of most OTC treatments are anti-fungal, using various methods to stop the ability for the fungus to grow. Some common over the counter medications for athletes foot in its early stages include: Lamasil-AT (terbafine) Desenex (undecylenic acid)

Tinactin (toinaftate) Aborbine Jr. (miconazole) Micatin (miconazole) Most remedies are topical and are available in creams, powers, and sprays that can be applied directly to the infected surface and massaged into the skin.

Prescription Medications
In the latter stages of infection and in severe cases, athletes foot is best cured through prescription medications that are able to penetrate the skin and work to combat the fungi growth (topical) or are able to break down the fungi membranes to stop their growth (internal). Allylamines in particular are strong prescription medications that work to produce a compound buildup that is toxic to fungi. Azoles are also effective prescription medications that work directly on the fungi membrane to inhibit their growth. In lab tests, ally-lamines have been shown to provide faster results (one week or less), however azoles (which can take 4-7 weeks) are equally effective in curing athletes foot. Several prescription medications include:

Topical

Lotramin (clotrimazole) Monistat-Derm (miconazole nitrate) Naftin (naftifine hydrochloride)

Oral
Fulvicin (griseeofulvin) Grisactin (griseofulvin) Lamasil (hydrocloride) Sporanox (itraconazole) Diflucan (fluconazole) The environment required for the athletes foot fungi to thrive includes moist, dark, closed spaces. All treatments should also be accompanied by changes in hygiene to prevent reinfestation. Recommended additions to treatment include: drying feet well after any exposure to moisture, paying close attention to the areas between the toes. wearing well-ventilated, mesh, or open-toed shoes. wearing and regularly changing socks (a lightweight, cotton socks is recommended) adhering to change frequencies of sole inserts Used in conjunction with medications, the symptoms of athletes foot should begin to subside within one week. To prevent unnecessary recurrences, doctors strongly recommend that all medications be taken for their prescribed length of time even if symptoms are not present.

Reference:

http://www.jr2.ox.ac.uk/bandolier/band107/b107-3.html http://www.webmd.com/skin-problems-and-treatments/tc/athletes-foot-treatment-overview